Maritime spatial planning goals
i. Sustainable Blue Growth
Blue growth is a key part of the EU’s Integrated Maritime Policy and the Europe 2020 strategy, which aim at smart, sustainable and inclusive growth.
The long-term Blue Growth strategy (2012) contributes to achieving the goals of the Europe 2020 strategy.
Integrated maritime policy supports blue growth by providing a more coherent approach to maritime issues, with increased coordination between different policy areas.
Sea basin strategies will foster cooperation between countries and ensure tailor-made development measures for the area. The EU’s Baltic Sea strategy applies to Finland.
Finland’s National Development Plan for Blue Bioeconomy 2025 will contribute to implementing the Blue Growth strategy.
Maritime spatial planning ensures that the good ecological status of the seas is compatible with achievement of blue growth goals – to promote sustainable blue growth.
The three focuses of the EU’s Blue Growth strategy:
Integrated maritime policy measures
Marine knowledge to improve access to information about the sea
Maritime spatial planning to ensure efficient and sustainable management of activities at sea
Integrated maritime surveillance to give authorities a better picture of what is happening at sea
Sea basin strategies
EU’s Baltic Sea strategy
Targeted measures
Aquaculture
Coastal tourism
Blue biotechnology (marine biotechnology)
Ocean energy
Seabed mining
Other strategic blue economy sectors:
Shipbuilding and ship repair
Maritime transport
Fisheries
Offshore oil and gas production
ii. Good status of marine environment
The aim of the EU’s Marine Strategy Framework Directive (2008) is to achieve a good ecological status of marine environment by 2020. Maritime spatial planning contributes to the implementation of Finland’s marine strategy, which presents a plan for the protection, conservation and improvement of the marine environment and marine ecosystems to ensure the good status of marine waters by 2020.
The central target of maritime spatial planning is to increase sustainability in the use of marine resources. In practice, this means safeguarding the diversity of the marine environment and ensuring the carrying capacity of ecosystems. A clean sea and healthy ecosystems produce nutrition and provide the foundation for blue business and recreation through other ecosystem services.
Maritime spatial planning ensures that the good status of marine waters is compatible with blue growth goals.
The marine strategy includes three steps:
- An initial assessment of the state of the marine environment, definitions of good environmental status, and environmental targets and indicators
- Monitoring program of the marine strategy
- Program of measures of the Finnish marine strategy 2016–2021
More information about the marine strategy is available on Finland’s environmental administration and Ministry of the Environment websites:
- Protection and management of the marine environment
- Marine Protection at the Ministry of the Environment
A clean sea is a productive sea
The purpose of maritime spatial planning is to promote sustainable development and growth for different uses in the marine region, the sustainable use of natural resources, and achievement of a good status of the marine environment.
The EU’s Blue Growth strategy and marine strategy directive serve as common guidance documents for coastal EU countries. The binding target of the nation-states is to achieve good environmental status of marine waters in 2020. Blue growth must be compatible with this target while simultaneously searching for synergies between different sectors.